FoCS Chapters 3 and 4 Flashcards
What is a microprocessor?
Millions of shrunk transistors on a single semiconductor integrated circuit. They lessened the cost of computers and are more powerful.
Why were transistors made?
To shrink the sizes of computers
What is Moore’s Law?
A law that suggests that the complexity of an integrated circuit, with respect minimum component cost, doubles every 24 months.
Which three projects delivered a complete microprocessor at about the same time?
Intel’s 4004, Texas Instruments’ TMS 1000, and Garrett AiResearch’s Central Air Data Computer
What is a computer-on-a-chip?
A variation of a microprocessor that combines the CPU, some memory, and input/output lines, all in one chip.
Describe each microprocessor version and its timeframe.
4-Bit - (1971)
Basically mini calculators and simple games
8-Bit - (1972)
Took off the revolution of home computers, but mainly started off for hobbyists
16-Bit - (1973)
The first computers used for everyday work
32-bit - (1980)
Stores large quantities of data
64-bit - (2000’s)
Unbelievable memory storage
What is embedded equipment?
A computer-in-a-chip embedded in other devices (ex. car, washing machine.)
What is a multi-core processor?
A single chip that contains more than one microprocessor core.
What does RISC stand for and what is it?
Reduced Instruction Set Computer
Microprocessors which were used in special purpose machines and Unix workstations, but have become universal in all roles except the Intel-standard desktop.
What is MIPS and what does it stand for?
Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipelined Stages
A reduced instruction set computer (RISC) instruction set architecture (ISA) developed by MIPS Computer Systems. It was popular for 64-bit computing
Name some examples of Special-Purpose Microprocessors.
GPU’s, DSP, and Microcontrollers
What do computer operating systems provide?
A set of functions used by most applications and necessary linkages to control computer hardware
The evolution of computer applications and their complexity led to what?
OS necessities
What did early computers lack?
Any form of operating system
What did IBM develop that became useful for businesses?
The system/360 series
What is UNIX?
An operating system developed at AT&T Bell Laboratories in the 1970’s.
What did home computers have built in?
BASIC interperator on ROM (read-only memory)
What does RAM and BIOS stand for?
RAM - Random Access Memory
BIOS - Basic Input/Output System
What do you have to do before the test?
Read the chapters, timeline, scavenger hunt, and wiki page!
When was Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) founded and what did it make?
1957
It made electronic modules for test, measurement, prototyping and control markets
When was Wang Laboratories founded and what did it make?
1973
Calculators and word processors
Describe a Raspberry Pi
A Raspberry Pi is a single board credit card sized computer.
Who invented FORTRAN and when did they do it?
John Backus in 1957
What is Mathematica and who invented it and when?
Mathematica is a symbolic mathematical programming language made by Stephen Wolfram in 1988.
